Exercise devices are used for various reasons including improving the skills and techniques needed to perform various athletic and physical movements. In the field of martial arts, a number of devices have been developed to help those learning a martial art improve and hone their ability to execute specific physical movements such as kicks, punches, and blocks. One such device is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,183,451 (the "'451 patent"). The device shown in the '451 patent includes a plurality of striking pads which are attached to an upright support. Each of the pads includes a cylindrically shaped, flexible pad member which is secured over a pintl which, in turn, is attached to a moveable spring. The spring is positioned within an aperture formed in a truncated, conically-shaped base plate which is fastened to the upright by threaded fasteners.
The pads in the device shown in the '451 patent are designed to be struck by an individual who is practicing a martial-arts movement. Normally, the pads are oriented perpendicular to the upright. When a pad is struck, it is deflected to a position askew from the original position. Specifically, the pad member moves over the truncated, conically-shaped base late in response to being hit. After a strike, the spring-mounted pintl causes the pad to return to its original position, with the pad moving back to a substantially perpendicular position with respect to the upright. Thus, the device may be used to execute numerous repetitions of a specific movement with the striking pad moving back to substantially the same point after each repetition.
While the device shown in the '451 patent is useful, it does suffer from several shortcomings. In particular, the mechanism used to attach the striking pads to the upright is unduly complex and includes numerous components. This makes the device relatively expensive to manufacture and maintain. For example, manufacturing a conically-shaped base plate for the mounting assembly requires relatively sophisticated manufacturing facilities which, of course, increase the overall price of the practice device. Further, each spring used to connect a striking pad to the upright is subject to wear and stretching, which reduces its resiliency and ultimately necessitates that it be replaced when it becomes worn out.
Another device used to practice martial arts is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,458,552 (the "'552 patent"). This device includes an upright support having a plurality of flexible, focus target pads releasably secured to it. This device also has drawbacks. First, the devices requires relatively complex assemblies to mount each of the target pads to the upright. Second, while designing a device to have a releasable target pad may be useful in some instances, training that requires high numbers of repetitions can not be accomplished with this device, as the pads are likely to fly off the upright support after they are struck.
Therefore, it would be desirable to have a martial arts practice device that may be used to practice specific physical movements by having a user strike a target or pad. Further, it would be desirable to have a device designed with target or striking pads that return to a predetermined position after being struck, so that 1) a high number of repetitions of a movement can be executed and 2) complex movements resulting in multiple blows or strikes to the same point or position can be practiced. Further still, it would be desirable to have a device that is relatively simple and inexpensive to build.